A 6-year-old boy reported missing was found dead Monday night, according to Chief Deputy Creed Hashe with the Pickens County Sheriff's Office.

The coroner identified the child as Benjamin Jacob Jones.

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Benjamin's body was recovered from a pond in a wooded area off Midway Road six hours after he was reported missing, Hashe said.

"As we all grieve together along with this family and community, we start the process of getting a little bit more mechanical and walking through the steps to process the scene," Hashe said.

Hashe believes Benjamin may have possibly slipped into the water but the investigation is still underway.

Some areas of the pond were at least waist deep, Hashe added.

Deputies got the call about Benjamin wandering away from his home around 5:30 p.m.

Benjamin's mother let him outside to play and after a short period of time called him in for dinner, but couldn't find him. That's when she called 911, Hashe said.

Benjamin went to Ambler Elementary. The principal, Dr. Carlton Lewis, released a statement Tuesday morning.

“We are very sad to hear about the tragic loss of our precious K5 student, Benjamin Jones. He was a sweet, happy child who seemed excited about the start of the new school year. We will miss him tremendously. Our thoughts and prayers are with his entire family and friends," Lewis said.